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If you want a featherweight, foldable wired USB-C headphone built for long school days, commutes and side sleepers, choose UKELALA U2C; if you need a wired 3.5 mm over-ear with an inline mic, a USB-C adapter in the box and soft faux-leather cushions, choose Zollexa Over-Ear Headphones.
Both are wired, both are over-ear, and both are aimed at the budget end of the market. The split comes down to one question: do you want the lightest possible on-head feel with a modern USB-C plug, or do you want a mic and a classic headphone jack that works with almost anything?
• UKELALA U2C — biggest strength: genuinely lightweight, foldable over-ear design with ultra-soft earmuffs, stainless-steel reinforced retractable structure and a tangle-resistant 4.9 ft nylon braided USB-C cable.
• UKELALA U2C — biggest trade-off: it is wired-only, USB-C-only, has no microphone, and its noise control is sound isolation rather than any kind of cancellation.
• Zollexa Over-Ear Headphones — biggest strength: the most flexible connection here — a 3.5 mm jack plus a USB-C adapter included, with an inline mic for calls and push-button controls.
• Zollexa Over-Ear Headphones — biggest trade-off: no noise control at all, no stated driver or frequency specs, and the faux-leather round earcups are the more conventional, less "barely there" build.
• Choose UKELALA U2C if you want a light, foldable USB-C headphone for kids, students, side sleepers and travel.
• Choose Zollexa Over-Ear Headphones if you need a mic and a 3.5 mm plug that fits school laptops, older phones, tablets and desk setups.
The UKELALA U2C is a wired USB-C over-ear headphone with a clear design brief: stay light, fold small, and don't wear the listener out. The ultra-soft earmuffs and over-ear shape are built for breathability and ambient sound isolation, so the headphone can stay on for a long session without the pressure build-up that heavier cans create. That is exactly the profile you want if you're a side sleeper who likes to drift off with something on your ears — a light, soft, over-ear pad is far less annoying against a pillow than a bulky headband with clamp force.
The materials tell the same story. UKELALA uses stainless steel in the retractable structure, which is the part that usually snaps first on cheap folding headphones, and pairs it with a plastic and stainless-steel enclosure. The folding design collapses the headphone down for storage, and the 4.9 ft nylon braided cable is specifically designed not to tangle or kink — a small thing that matters a lot if this is going in and out of a school bag every day.
Buy it if: you want the lightest-feeling, most packable option here, you're on a USB-C device, and you don't need to talk on calls. It's also a sensible pick for gaming headphones for side sleepers who just want a cable and no battery to think about.
Skip it if: you need a mic, you own devices with a 3.5 mm jack and no USB-C, or you expect any form of active noise cancellation.
Zollexa Over-Ear Headphones: Who It's For
The Zollexa Over-Ear Headphones take the opposite approach. Instead of chasing minimum weight, they chase maximum compatibility. You get a 3.5 mm jack as the primary connection and a USB-C adapter included in the box, which means the same pair works on a school Chromebook, an older phone, a Nintendo Switch-style handheld, a tablet or a desktop with a standard headphone port. That single design decision makes them the easier recommendation for a household with mixed devices.
The build is round over-ear earcups in faux leather, folding for storage, with soft cushions intended for longer wear. There's an inline microphone, which is the feature UKELALA simply doesn't have — that makes the Zollexa the one you'd pick for online classes, video calls, voice chat in games, or any situation where you need to be heard and not just hear. Controls are push-button and sit inline on the cable.
The honest trade-off: noise control is listed as none. There's no isolation claim and no cancellation. The data sheet also doesn't publish a driver type or frequency range, so there's nothing concrete to point at on the audio-spec side — you're buying on fit, features and connectivity rather than on stated acoustics. The gold finish is the only colour listed, which is a look you'll either like or won't.
Buy it if: you need a mic, you want one headphone that plugs into everything, and you value the softer faux-leather cushion feel for long desk sessions.
Skip it if: you specifically need the lightest possible build, you want USB-C as the native plug rather than an adapter, or you want any noise control at all.
• Best for the lightest on-head feel → UKELALA U2C. The ultra-soft earmuffs, breathable over-ear design and foldable build are all aimed at long, low-fatigue wear.
• Best for side sleepers → UKELALA U2C. A light, soft, foldable over-ear with no battery and no bulky housing is the more comfortable shape against a pillow. In my opinion this is the stronger of the two for that specific use.
• Best for calls and voice chat → Zollexa Over-Ear Headphones. It has an inline mic; UKELALA has none.
• Best for device compatibility → Zollexa Over-Ear Headphones. 3.5 mm jack plus a USB-C adapter covers far more hardware than a USB-C-only cable.
• Best for USB-C-native simplicity → UKELALA U2C. One cable, no adapter to lose, and the 4.9 ft nylon braid resists tangling.
• Best for build durability details → UKELALA U2C. The stainless-steel retractable structure is a specific, stated reinforcement at the fold point.
• Best for noise control → neither, strictly speaking. UKELALA does passive sound isolation; Zollexa lists none. If you want isolation, UKELALA is the only one of the two claiming any.
• Best for gaming → Zollexa Over-Ear Headphones. A mic and a 3.5 mm plug make it the more usable headset for multiplayer; the UKELALA is better suited to single-player listening.
If you're hunting for the best extra bass gaming headphones for side sleepers, be realistic about what either of these can do: neither data sheet makes any bass or low-frequency claim, so buy on comfort and connectivity, not on a promise of thump. Similarly, if you want volume limiting headphones for side sleepers — a capped maximum output — note that neither sheet states a volume limit, so don't assume one.
If I were buying for myself, I'd take the UKELALA U2C. The reason is simple: the whole design is organised around being light, soft and foldable, and for a side sleeper that's the thing that actually decides whether you keep wearing them. The stainless-steel retractable structure and the tangle-resistant braided USB-C cable also suggest it'll survive a bag better than its price bracket implies.
I'd switch to the Zollexa Over-Ear Headphones the moment a microphone mattered, or if I needed to plug into 3.5 mm devices. That's the honest dividing line: light and USB-C versus versatile and mic-equipped. Check the current price on Amazon before you commit — the button on this page will take you there.
what are the lightest over ear headphones
Neither data sheet publishes a weight figure, so I can't give you a number for either. What I can tell you is that the UKELALA U2C is explicitly designed around being lightweight and portable, with ultra-soft earmuffs and a foldable frame, while the Zollexa sheet makes no lightweight claim at all. On stated design intent, UKELALA is the one chasing low weight.
Yes. The Zollexa sheet lists an inline mic, and the cable carries push-button controls. The UKELALA U2C has no microphone listed, so it's for listening only.
Not directly. The UKELALA U2C is wired USB-C only — there's no 3.5 mm option and no adapter mentioned. The Zollexa Over-Ear Headphones are the safer bet for older laptops and phones because they use a 3.5 mm jack and ship with a USB-C adapter.
No. UKELALA lists sound isolation, which is passive blocking from the over-ear fit, and Zollexa lists noise control as none. Expect some reduction in background noise from the seal, not active cancellation.
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